Cigar-box



(No Model.)

J. A. SMITH,

Cigar Box.

No. 242-,o65.

Patented May 24, 188|.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE A. SMITH, OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND.

CIGAR-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,065, dated May 24,1881.

Application tiled March 10, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEssE A. SMITH, of Westminster, in the county of Carroll and State ot' Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Packin g Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactldescription of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specitication.

My invention is an improvement in cigarboxes and the arrangementot` cigars placed therein.

It consists, primarily, of a cigar-box com'- posed of two sections of' equal depth hinged together at the edge of a dividing-plane equidistant between the base and top, and an arf rangement of bundles of cigars so placed with reference to each .other and the two sections that when said box is opensa-id bundles will be in the quincunx order, their bases bearing against the top and bottom of the box respect ively, and when said box is closed said bundles will have their bases and tops alternating in line and bearing against the upper and lower inner faces of the box, as will lie hereinafter described.

It consists, also, of a box of cigars composed of two sections of equal depth, formed with its ends narrowed from the base to the top and hinged at a dividing-plane equidistant between said base and top, all of which will be fully set forth hereinafter.

In my drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the box, showing the arrangement of the bundles having twenty cigars each-one hundred in all--for display. Fig. 2 is a transverse section ot' same, showing the box lled with cigars and closed. Fig. 3 is a perspective View, showing a modification of box.

Similar reference-letters denote like parts in both gures.

Referring to drawings, A is the box, composed of two equal parts, B C, hinged together on one side by hinges a a. The parts B C are about half the depth of a bundle of cigars, and said parts are constructed after the manner of constructing'cigar-boxes in general, but unlike ordinary cigar-boxes, in that there is no lid, so

called, provided,but either oneotl the sections or parts represents the lid or top to its correspondent.

D D D2 D3 D4 are bundles of cigars put up in the trapezoidal form, the cigars being held together to form said bundles byribbons b b. The bundles D, D', &c., have six cigars at the base and reduce upward,one to the row, to the top, and having live layers or rows, the upper having. but two. The said bundles contain twenty cigars each, so that in the tive bundles shown there will be one hundred cigars.l

The perspective View, Fig. 1, shows clearly the arrangement of my bundles of cigars when the box is open for-display. When the box is closed a longitudinal section taken centrally through it and the cigars would show a box composed of two equal and similar parts, and the cigars would be in a solid group, undivided except by the ribbons forming the bindings of each separate group or bundle.

It is-well known that the Internal-Revenue Department requires that all cigars on sale by retail shall be displayed only in the boxes in which they were originally packed, and it therefore becomes an important matter to the retail trade thata kind of box be furnished that will give a maximum of display at a minimum of cost; and with this in view I have devised a box in the simple form shown and described, in which I propose to place the bundles ot' cigars partly in the upper half, to which I secure them by some suitable means, and part of them in the bottom half, so that when said box is opened on its hinges to break the revenue stamp adisplay ot each separate bundle wil-l be presented as a pleasant and attractive picture to thc eye, greatly to the enhancement in display of the article.

'The modification, Fig. 3, shows a form of box specially adapted to bundles of the trapezoidal or like forms. The ends I in this box are truncated or splayed from the base in toward the top at an angle corresponding with the angle of the bundles, so that there will be no waste room inside. By reversing boxes thus formed one to another when piling them they will pack together' as economically as would boxes of the rectangular form.

When my box is closed I fasten it with a wire, hook, 7c', pivoted in the face of one side IOO and hooked into a staple or on a pin in the other side. I sometimes use staples in fasten' ing the box, such as are shown at k.

Although in my drawings I have shown the bundles put up in the trapezoidal form as a preference, it is obvious that square or other forms might be used with equal economy of space, so that when the box is open for display the bundles will present the quincunx principle.

I am aware that cases for cigars have been manufactured with an arrangement in which two sections forming the case are ot' equal depth and adapted for an arrangement of cigars with their largest and smallest parts in juxtaposition, said case being provided with one cigar more on one side than on the other, so that said case, when closed, has its cigars on one side fitting between the angular depressions formed between any two on the opposite side without liability to crushing of the material out of which said cigars are made, and to such I make no claim.

I am also aware that cigar-boxes have been made in sections, a longitudinal section of which would show an undivided trapezoidal form, and to such I make no claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A box for cigars composed ot' two sections of equal depth hinged together at a dividing-plane equidistant between the base and top, in combination with bundles D D D2 D'J D4, secured to said top aud bottom, as described, said bundles being so arranged with reference to each other and the two sections that when said box is open said bundles will be presented to the eye in thc quincunx order with their bases bearing against the top and bottom of the said box respectively, and when said box is closed said bundles will have the arrangement shown in Fig. fZ-viz., with bases and tops altcrnatingin lille and bearing against the upper and lower inner faces of said box, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A box for cigars, composed of two sections of' equal depth, formed with its ends narrowed from the base to the top and hinged at the edge of a dividing-plane equidistant between said base and narrowed top,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myown I aftx mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JESSE A. SMITH.

lVitnesses:

ALBERT L. BAKER, F. M. BANKARD. 

